MIAMI:
American women’s teachers Vlatko Andonovski expressed surprise at the statement of the World Cup defender Crystal Dunn that he was not happy with being asked to play the left wing.
Dunn, who was part of the American team that won the World Cup in France four years ago, told GQ magazine on Friday that “it hurts sometimes” to change from his favorite club position to the center.
“It’s a heavy burden for me to change who has given me the team I’m playing for, and it’s something that only I can experience. It’s very difficult to talk about,” he told the magazine.
“I think it’s difficult because I’m the only one who has to do it. I step into the camp, and I feel like I’ve lost a part of myself. I’m no longer Crystal who scores. goals, assists, this is the attack. players,” he said.
Dunn, who has 129 caps for the country, is expected to be part of the squad for the World Cup in July in New Zealand and Australia.
Andonovski told reporters ahead of Sunday’s SheBelieves Cup against Japan that he hadn’t read the interview but was surprised by the comments.
“Crystal hasn’t shown up to me lately,” he said.
“It’s a choice, no one is forced to play in the national team, no one is forced to play in any position and every time I talk to Crystal, she just shares He just loves the team and is happy to help the team succeed.
“So obviously as a teacher, I’m happy to hear that, and I’m happy to help him in the situation or the work he has to do,” he said. this.
Andonovksi warned that Dunn will face a lot of competition with the likes of Rose Lavelle, Catarina Macario and Lindsey Horan in the midfield, or he insisted on changing positions.
“If he doesn’t feel good playing left-back or doesn’t want to be left-back, no one is forced to play in any position, right?
“As a left-back, he is world-class and probably one of the best left-backs in the world. As a center, it is very difficult to compete in this situation, so everyone has options, and then we make decisions. ” he added.
In the interview Dunn said that he tried to accept the role that Andonovski gave him but it was not always easy and he really fell at the end of 2021.
“I was sick of feeling like I wasn’t enough, feeling like I always had to earn my right on the field.”
“I step into an environment where I have to be world class in a way that I don’t think is my best.
“But I’ve owned it, I’ve done it for myself, and I’ve tried to create in my most authentic way, but I don’t like it. I like to play and I like to compete, so it brings I get to where I need to be, but it’s really hard when I look around and I’m like, Well, nobody else is doing this.
“I’m the only person who doesn’t stick to one position and always has to change based on what my coach thinks of me…it hurts sometimes,” he said.
.
Leave a Reply